Rorschach Turns Vacant Buzzard Point Storefronts Into a Time-Bending Mystery
Rorschach Theatre’s new production, SPARKED: The Vanishing at Buzzard Point, uses five empty retail spaces in The Stacks development for an audience-guided mystery. The story draws on the 1933 disappearance of two lovers and a powerful storm, with the script developed alongside an unusually large design team. Performances are scheduled from October 22 through November 15.
Rorschach Theatre’s new mystery unfolds across five empty storefronts in The Stacks, a Southwest DC development near Audi Field. Guided audience groups gather clues about two lovers who vanished in 1933 amid a severe storm. The run is October 22 through November 15.
Jenny McConnell Frederick conceived, wrote, and directs the piece with Randy Baker producing. The script grew from an outline alongside an unusually large design team, including four directors, two set designers, two lighting designers, and many specialists. Designers’ ideas sometimes shaped staging and story; one proposal explored linking the nearby PEPCO plant’s exterior lights to the show.
Site-specific, audience-guided theater could draw new visitors to Southwest DC and encourage them to view vacant retail space as a temporary cultural asset. Local venues may see extra foot traffic, while participants may become more curious about neighborhood history and rapid development. The production may also give Rorschach a way to deepen community ties and test a collaborative model that other small companies could study.